Time continued to pass as both factions rallied their forces. With the Long Clan’s reputation constantly falling in the wake of their actions, they could no longer rely on branch families and side sects living in the central region. The consensus that the Emperor was just using them as meat shields had become a reality.

Going against the United Element Sect was not an easy task. Previously everyone expected them to fall within a few weeks. They had proven to everyone that they were here to stay, but multiple battles later they still stood strong and it was the Long Clan that had to retreat. The western side of the empire was never this strong. Previously it was even considered to be the weakest of the big three and now it was potentially the strongest.

People from the central region found themselves fleeing there. Even though massive barriers were created to keep anyone from that side outside, there was a way to get in. After going through several checks it was possible to head inside. Hidden spies were apprehended at a staggering rate without anyone knowing of the system’s involvement. It was impossible for anyone from the Long Clan to get through without being discovered.

Within a few months, a battle zone had formed and constant barrages of spirit blasts continued to rain each day. The massive formation could not be breached and the Long Clan forces could not muster enough forces for another big push. Their reputation continued to plummet until they finally had to dip into their own pockets. For people that had remained at the top for so long, this was a hard pill to swallow.

“I didn’t expect their armies to collapse this fast…”

“Perhaps we got lucky, the central region had been mismanaged for a long time. They have grown fat and lazy, unable to function without their pawn.”

Zhang Dong nodded at Zhang Jin. The two were looking over a holographic map of the border region. Their victories were piling up and it didn’t seem like they would be slowing down anytime soon. The support of their armies was almost unanimous after a few battles went their way. The middle-sized sects had started to see the spirit stones waiting for them and were now fully invested. Their unease was now gone as the Long Clan was getting pushed back and forced into a more defensive position.

“Even though their clan has many elites, they had never gained the skills required to lead just like the last time, some of them started fleeing at the first sight of defeat.”

“They are truly spineless, without the branch clans to act as meat shields they are incapable of risking their own life.”

Zhang Jin replied to Zhang Dong’s point while everyone else nodded. It was as if their entire army was composed of young master types. They were unable to produce any victories and were prone to blaming their fellow clan members. There was no unifying hand guiding them as the Emperor continued to hide away at the flying castle in the sky. Without a proper leader, the others continued to push their own agendas and usually step over each others toes while doing it.

“And that’s why we will win!”

Said Huo Qiang who could not wait to join the fray. The battles at the borders were losing steam and if this continued there was a possibility of pushing towards victory. With their formation standing strong, there was nothing to worry about anymore. Entering the lands of the Long Clan would be the next obvious step.

‘Everyone is getting pumped up, I’m not sure if I like this…’

Zhang Dong was aware of how their people felt. Most of them had come from smaller clans and sects. They had attained newfound power through hardships but also luck. They wanted to prove to the world that they were worthy of keeping all the blessings that they were given. There was no better way of showing the world this other than taking the spot of the current dynasty.

His name had become a problem as he could make a legal case for the throne. Perhaps if there was a democratic vote to attain this position he would have been able to win it. The Azure Emperor was an obscure being that never showed himself, even after all that had happened the man didn’t appear. It seemed that unless they traveled to the capital city of Azure, there would be no resolution.

“What of the recent movement in the region, are they really retreating to the spirit vein?”

“Yes, I wanted to bring this up, our intelligence agents have confirmed this by traveling to various cities in the central region, the Long Clan has been given an order to retreat.”

“Hah, the cowards are running, we should push in and end it all!”

Huo Qiang called out to the people here and his father nodded in agreement. It looked as if the enemy was trying to concentrate their forces in one region and defend it. In the eyes of many this was only what an injured beast would do and they wanted to quickly put it out of its misery.

“End it all? I don’t think it will be that easy Qiang. They recalled all of their main clan members which means that all their nascent soul masters will be in one place.”

“So? This just means that we can vanquish them all at the same time!”

“That’s why muscle brains like you are… “

“What? Everyone knows that only cowards run!”

Zhang Liena gave out a sigh while fanning herself with one of her emerald fans. She knew that it was one thing to defend themselves against a few branch families and another to fight the true Long Clan. Their numbers were low but they made them up with quality.

“The Matriarch is right, the number of their nascent soul masters greatly outnumbers ours. Their lands have never suffered a defeat, many have tried to topple the Azure dynasty but they have all failed. Please take a look, this is as much as we have gathered.”

Zhang Jin tried to ignore Huo Qiang and Liena’s disagreement while bringing everyone's attention to the holographic map. There he presented a circular area surrounded by steep mountains and something that looked like a flying city of massive proportions.

“This is the capital city, if we compare it to the Golden Palace then you will see one of the problems that we will face.”

“It’s so much bigger?”

The Golden Dong Palace had been upgraded multiple times and was the size of a giant castle. Even with its own massive size, it looked like a pebble next to the mountain that was the Azure Dragon city.

“This city has been able to keep itself afloat for thousands of years, we believe that it's taking vast quantities of spiritual energy to achieve this. Part of the main spirit vein in question is directly under it.”

Everyone knew of this already but this presentation brought everyone up to scale. Previously Zhang Dong along with a few of his family members were able to visit the large city. Thanks to this they were able to gather some information about the size and some of the main defensive structures.

“While we might have a general layout of the main city, we don’t really have much about the surrounding area. We were unable to peek through their grand formation and arrived through methods of teleportation. Even though we witnessed some of the outsides, it was shrouded with something.”

“Could it have been an illusory formation?”

“That’s a possibility, it wouldn’t be strange if they hid a trump card within this center shroud.”

The elders nodded again. It was possible for something to be in that empty zone. To their knowledge, there were no cities built there or at least that is what the Long Clan wanted everyone to know. They always held people up at the mountain range and whoever was allowed to go through, could only through one of the teleportation gates. It was a big unknown what truly waited for them inside and preparing for the unknown had to be accounted for.

“What of the Heavenly Crane Sect, have they decided to take a side?”

“No, they are remaining neutral and have started to amass more forces around their own borders.”

“That doesn’t bode well, did they make a deal with the Long Clan?”

“That probably isn’t it. It’s actually favorable for us if they do so.”

“Do you expect them to create another barricade like we did?”

“Something like that, they aren’t much different than any other sect. They will wait and if the Long Clan tries to flee, they will see it as an opportunity to attack.”

“I see, they are opportunists to the end.”

Zhang Dong answered Liena while nodding. The Heavenly Crane Sect wasn’t a great ally. Instead of helping anyone they would just stay there and wait. It was in their best interest for both sides to weaken each other as much as possible. Then if they deemed it possible, it would be their time to rise, and going up against weakened enemies was their plan.

“I just hope they don’t expect things to remain the same after we win.”

“I agree, having such snakes around would bode badly for the future of the new dynasty.”

Zhang Jin responded to Liena while Zhang Dong frowned at the choice of wording. To him, this was a battle against whoever created the scenario but for them; it was more about gaining more resources and land. They all wanted to create a new world order with their names being immortalized for future generations. It would be a great honor to pave the way for their offspring and become ancestors worthy of praise.

“Continue to monitor their movements, we shall push through with the next stage of our strategy as soon as it’s possible, does anyone have any grievances to voice or do we all agree?”

Zhang Dong stood up and asked the elders, experts, and also his friends if they really wanted to push through with this war. Now was the time to take their chance, people were quickly revolting against the old royal family. If they waited too long then the Emperor would probably regain his foothold. The longer the Long Dynasty lasted, the more the whole empire would push into chaotic times.

Some criminals were already seeing this as a chance to ransack various cities and smaller lesser protected areas. The longer this took the more collateral damage would occur and as always the less fortunate would be affected the most.

“I will take the silence as your answer, very well. We shall rally the troops and push in. We will take the central region over and drive the Emperor out of his hiding place…”